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Individuals without law degrees who work in law-related careers generally either work as paralegals, legal assistants and legal secretaries, and/or in any of a number of positions in the criminal justice fields. There are also a number of law-related career paths for social work and mental health professionals in...

These pages outline only the very barest of information about legal careers. There are three basic ways to find out more, listed here in declining order of helpfulness:work in one or more law offices,
talk to practicing attorneys, and
read more detailed descriptions of legal careers.
Remember, this...

Given the long term financial ramifications, it is imperative that you ask yourself this question. There is no universal answer—only you can decide whether, given a number of factors, law school represents a good investment for you. Among the factors to consider are the following:
Why do you want...

Internships—paid, for credit, or entirely volunteer—are the best way to get experience in a legal field before making the big decision about whether law school is the right path to the career you want to pursue. The answer to the question, “Should I do an internship?” is always,...

Presumably, you’re thinking about law school because some aspect of the law interests you. But there are so many different types of law – different fields (or “practice areas”), different types of law office (“practice settings”) – that it’s sometimes hard to get a handle on what your options might...

What is networking? In essence, it’s being friendly with a purpose. If that sounds crass to you, then, to be blunt, you might want to rethink a career that is based largely on building and maintaining strategic professional relationships. Lawyers can’t adequately represent their clients or...

A field or “practice area” of law refers to legal practice relevant to a particular type of law, or, more commonly, a particular industry or business. Most law relates to business, with a handful of exceptions. The largest exception is criminal law – the body of law relating to...

There are a number of published resources for finding out more about different legal careers—so many that it would be impossible to list them all. But here are a few that we’ve found especially helpful:
Online resources
NALP: The National Association of Legal Career Professionals
NALP is...

Some lawyers help bring people together, others help break them apart – that’s the best way to describe the difference between these two largest classes of lawyers. Transactional practice involves researching, preparing and reviewing the documents that bring individuals and companies together: from contracts for large corporate mergers and acquisitions...

Another distinction among lawyers is between those who work in private firms and/or for companies, and those who work for government or in non-profit work. The first type is generally referred to as “private practice” while the second is called “public interest” (or, occasionally, “public service”). Attorneys...